Two months ago, I went to a green beauty event in LA that featured a green skin care line (Arcona), a green hair care line (Briogeo), and a green makeup line (W3LL People). Most green makeup lines aren't carried in stores, and this makes it difficult to find the right shades for your skin tone. With this in-person event and knowing I could see/try these items in person, the inner beauty junkie took over and signed up immediately. I HAD TO BE THERE. The event was great--there was some green beauty Q&A and we were off to check out all the brands at the event.
I ran off to W3LL People. I had been eyeing a few products from their line and wanted to see how the colors looked. I knew I'd be in trouble after I spoke with a rep from their line, and 10 minutes later, I was off to check out, having purchased more than I thought I would. I ended up leaving with their Universalist Multi-Use Colorstick in #8, Hedonist Mineral Bronzer in #52, Altruist Mineral Foundation in #16, Expressionist Bio-Extreme Mascara in Black, their soft kabuki brush, and a freebie clear lip gloss. I also left with a Briogeo Blossom and Bloom thickening conditioner .
Today's review is about their Universal colorstick and mascara, since I've had a chance to use both items for two months.
Universal Colorstick #8: I was confused about how to wear the cream colorstick as a blush over my mineral veil, but after I figured out I could layer it over my mineral veil, it soon won me over. I swipe it 3-4 times on my index finger and dab it on to each cheek, blend and voila: coral-y tinted cheeks! Love the color on my medium toned skin. I found it gave me a few clogs the first week, but they went away afterwards and now just adds a nice touch of color to my face. It does give me a few small clogs if I use it it too many days in a row, so I can't use it too many days consecutively.
EWG Skin Deep Score: 4
Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara: This mascara definitely is in the same league as my 100% Pure mascara--this one lengthens and volumizes. With two coats, it gives my lashes great length and good volume. This formulation is less dry than the 100% Pure mascara and the brush is made of injection molded rubber, so it separates lashes very well. But, don't make me pick between the two, because they are both REALLY great mascaras.
EWG Skin Deep Score: 4
(Drumroll please)….the 100% Pure Black Tea Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara!
I did lots of research on mascara and settled on trying these three mascaras which all claimed to provide volume/length or some combination thereof:
1. Josie Maran Gogo Instant Natural Volume Mascara
2. Afterglow Cosmetics Organic Infused Pure Soul Mascara
3. 100% Pure Black Tea Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara
And the above is exactly the ranking I would give them. Afterglow's mascara is pretty good, but it doesn't do much in terms of volume--it primarily lengthened my lashes a bit, and that was it.
Unfortunately, the Josie Maran one was my least favorite (click here to read the full post).
Here's why the 100% Pure Black Tea Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara is the winner (thus far):
1. It lengthens AND volumizes my lashes comparably to the more chemical-laden counterparts. It actually would do well in a competition against any drugstore or department store brand, in my opinion.
2. Like it's company name indicates, it's made of 100% pure ingredients. Here's the ingredient listing:
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Cera Alba (Honey Beeswax), Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract (Blackberry Extract), Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract (Blackcurrant Extract), Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract (Raspberry Extract), Hydrolyzed Oat Protein (Oat Protein), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (Wheat Protein), Pantothenic Acid (Pro-vitamin B5), Fucus Vesiculosus Extract (Seaweed Powder), Coconut Stearic Acid (Coconut Acid), Mica, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Pearl Powder, Oryza Sativa Germ Powder (Rice Powder), Theobroma Cacao Extract (Cocoa Powder), Coffea Arabica Seed Extract (Powdered Coffee Beans), Mel (Lavender Honey), Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract (Oregano Extract), Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract (Thyme Extract), Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary Extract), Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract (Lavender Extract), Hydrastis Canadensis Extract (Goldenseal Extract)
3. It smells nice-not that mascara ever needs to have a scent, because who will be sniffing your eyes? Regardless, it naturally has a nice fruity smell that's very subtle.
4. This mascara smudges less than Telescopic, which is really surprising. Even at the end of the day, the smudge isn't too terrible, which is unusual for me (my skin is on the oily side).
**Note: I wasn't able to complete my report on EWG Skin Deep--there's something wrong with the database and it's not synthesizing the information to provide me with a hazard score. :( I'll keep plugging away until I can get a score. Until then, the previous formulation of the mascara had a score of a 2. Hoping it's as close to this number as possible, as I love it!).
I've been on a hunt for natural mascara. This is really tough because I love my Loreal Telescopic mascara, but alas, I'm slowly transitioning all my makeup to healthier, cleaner makeup. I'm still testing them out, one by one. This is my first stab at green mascara.
I searched green blogs and other sites to find the best, natural mascaras that lengthen and provide volume. After my research, I decided to start with this one, also because it goes to a good cause. For every one mascara purchased, she donates one to a cancer patient/survivor at City of Hope. I love what she's doing and how clean her products are, but I just didn't love this mascara.
I always start with the Tarte multiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer (I'll do a review on this one soon). Typically, I combine this with my Telescopic mascara and *BAM* my eyelashes are long and voluminous. I've been using the Josie Maran Gogo mascara and I notice two things: first, it dries out way too quickly and second, it doesn't do much in terms of eyelash length. While it does provide some volume, it pales in comparison to my Telescopic.
Drying out to quickly isn't good because you're not able to apply multiple coats of mascara without putting the wand back into the container to grab more mascara. In order for me to get any definition, I have to put the wand back two or three times per eye. With the Telescopic, I don't put the wand back to get more mascara because there's enough on the wand for both eyes. Maybe this is because there are so many chemicals in the Telescopic? Not sure, but why do chemicals have to make my eyelashes look so long?? It's not fair.
I'm back to trying out other mascaras until I find the best green one. Stay tuned!
Pros:
-less chemicals than other mascaras
-purchase of mascara goes to a good cause
Cons:
-doesn't provide dramatic eyelash length like my chemical-y drug store brand
-requires multiple coats involving re-dipping the wand back into the container
-scores a 4 on the EWG Skin Deep website
-the second ingredient scores at a whopping 7 on the EWG Skin Deep website
EWG Skin Deep Hazard Score: 4
Click here to read the full report.
*Surprisingly, both Telescopic and Gogo mascaras got the same hazard score (due to different ingredients). Sometimes "natural" doesn't always mean what you think it does, so it's important to be a savvy consumer and do your research before you make a purchase. Guess this is going back and on to the next one!
